Chapter 345: A Great Personality
Walking behind them, Kaguya Shinomiya looked at Yuuki Asuna, who was holding Utsunomiya Asagiri's arm.
Under the sunlight, Yuuki Asuna's beautiful face was filled with a warm smile.
A trace of sadness appeared in Kaguya's red eyes. It was unclear whether she was speaking to Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika, or simply murmuring to herself.
"Yuuki Asuna... really is an amazing person..."
"Agreed."
Fujiwara Chika nodded, her expression complicated.
"If this were really a war... the two of us together probably wouldn't be able to beat her, would we..."
"Eh? Eh? What are you two talking about?"
Seeing Yamauchi Sakura lean in with a curious look, Kaguya Shinomiya replied calmly,
"Nothing."
Hayasaka Ai sized up the smiling Yamauchi Sakura, then pointed toward the group walking in front, Utsunomiya Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi.
She frowned slightly.
"Yamauchi-san, shouldn't your place be over there?"
Yamauchi Sakura smiled.
"We're all companions who survived life and death together, so let's not divide it into my place and your place."
Hayasaka Ai looked slightly helpless.
"You get familiar with people a little too quickly, don't you..."
"I actually think it's quite nice that Yamauchi-san is like this."
Fujiwara Chika walked to Yamauchi Sakura's side and grinned.
"Can I call you Sakura Yamauchi?"
"Of course. Then... Chika?"
"No problem, Sakura Yamauchi~"
Seeing Yamauchi Sakura and Fujiwara Chika, who had only met for the first time today, quickly become familiar enough to call each other by their first names, a slightly rude thought popped into Kaguya Shinomiya's mind.
Two carefree idiots had come together.
...
After arriving at the mall, Yuuki Asuna saw that although it was quieter than before, there were still quite a few customers inside. She breathed a sigh of relief, relief appearing in her eyes as she murmured,
"Tokyo has already returned to normal so quickly..."
"It wasn't that big of a deal to begin with."
Utsunomiya Asagiri held Yuuki Asuna's hand and spoke calmly.
"From our perspective, the descent of the Dead Realms was indeed tricky. But in the end, the total number of casualties in Tokyo was only a few tens of thousands. Compared to a total population of more than fourteen million, that can only be called negligible. Not every one of the twenty or so descended areas was completely destroyed either. At this scale, it doesn't even count as a city level disaster."
Hearing this, Yuuki Asuna sighed. She looked at Utsunomiya Asagiri, whose expression had not changed at all, and pursed her lips.
"Although you usually seem abstract and casual, at times like this, you can show an absolute rationality ordinary people don't possess, just like Kotoko."
"This isn't rationality. It's just refusing meaningless self consumption."
Utsunomiya Asagiri shrugged, his tone casual.
"At the end of the day, the citizens who died in the Dead Realms are not our responsibility. But the fact that so many people survived is because we did our best to resolve those Dead Realms. Even for us, it's impossible to save everyone during the Trial."
A trace of sadness appeared in Yuuki Asuna's eyes. She forced a smile.
"That's true..."
"But!"
Before Yuuki Asuna could finish, Asagiri suddenly changed his tone and spoke with great momentum.
"Everyone has different motivations for wanting to become stronger. If you can hold onto the thought of, I must resolve similar incidents faster next time and save more innocent people, and use that to become stronger, then I think there is... re-al-ly... no... pro-blem..."
Hearing Asagiri draw out his words in that tone, Yuuki Asuna could not help laughing.
"Why does the way you speak sound like a kazoo? Has the kazoo become sentient?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, I really haven't played the kazoo in a long time."
Seeing Asagiri reach into his pocket, Yuuki Asuna hurriedly grabbed his wrist. A faint blush appeared on her pretty face.
"What are you doing? There are so many people in the mall watching."
Asagiri replied as if it were only natural.
"What's the big deal? I'm playing the kazoo, not playing with you..."
"Don't say such lewd things!"
Yuuki Asuna covered Asagiri's mouth with one hand, her face flushed with shame and anger.
"What do you mean, playing with me... Do you think of me as an instrument? Hmph, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to find the others."
After Yuuki Asuna turned and ran off, Sakurakawa Rikka slowly walked to Asagiri's side and sat down with him in the rest area of the clothing store.
Her eyes, adorned with light purple eyeshadow and carrying a mysterious beauty, revealed interest as she parted her lips.
"You truly are impressive."
"Of course I am."
Asagiri accepted Sakurakawa Rikka's praise without hesitation and emphasized with a straight face,
"Although the kazoo is a simple instrument, reaching my level is very difficult!"
Sakurakawa Rikka froze for a moment, then looked speechless.
"No... I wasn't referring to the kazoo..."
Shock appeared in Asagiri's eyes as he countered,
"Don't tell me you want me to play you? Miss Sakurakawa, it is true that you died for me, but making such a request directly is a bit too much. I hope you can keep your self respect and take things step by step. Are you sexually repressed?"
Sakurakawa Rikka clearly had not expected Asagiri to be this abstract.
For a moment, she did not know how to respond.
After a while, she finally reacted. A faint blush appeared on her pale cheeks. Compared to her usual fragile, sickly beauty, she looked even cuter at this moment.
"I was referring to how you resolved Miss Yuuki Asuna's inner knot with just a few words. Not anything related to... playing..."
"Then why didn't you say so earlier?"
Asagiri's attitude was so righteous that Sakurakawa Rikka could not think for a moment and subconsciously apologized.
"Sorry, that's my fault... Eh?"
Asagiri did not give Sakurakawa Rikka a chance to correct herself. He waved his hand generously.
"Alright, I forgive you. Let's talk about serious matters. Aren't you going to pick out clothes with them?"
Hearing Asagiri's question, Sakurakawa Rikka fell silent for a moment.
Then a strange thought popped into her mind.
She slowly leaned her upper body forward, bringing herself very close to Asagiri's face. Her tone carried a hint of temptation.
"Do you want to see me try on some nice clothes too?"
Asagiri glanced at Sakurakawa Rikka.
She was dressed quite simply, a pure white sleeveless sweater, light blue pencil pants, and a pair of black high heels about two centimeters tall. Her entire outfit was plain and unadorned, but because her appearance was so outstanding, even such an ordinary outfit was enough to attract countless gazes.
"I think you really are a bit repressed."
"Why? Do you not like my type?"
"It's not a question of type."
Asagiri looked directly into Sakurakawa Rikka's eyes and said bluntly,
"I just don't have... any thoughts in that regard toward you for the time being."
"For the time being?"
Sakurakawa Rikka rested her chin on one hand, making a very confused expression.
"Why is that? Is it because I ate the meat of a mermaid and a Kudan, making me an ugly monster that is a fusion of a human body and yokai power?"
"Hmph, naive."
Asagiri crossed his arms over his chest, narrowed his eyes slightly, and released an astonishing aura.
"Yokai? You underestimate me, Eroge Shooter, far too much! Let alone a beautiful woman like you who isn't a yokai at all and merely possesses yokai power, even if it were a half human, half beast beauty with a snake tail or fish tail, I would still go for it!"
Sakurakawa Rikka frowned slightly, confused.
"The lower body is a yokai? If there is no human part, how would you do that kind of thing?"
"Heh."
Asagiri looked at Sakurakawa Rikka with a meaningful gaze and chuckled.
"Pretending to be experienced, yet in reality, you don't understand anything at all, Miss Sakurakawa Rikka, who is too pure."
"That is because I have never been in a relationship."
Facing Asagiri's teasing, Sakurakawa Rikka replied calmly.
"Let alone a relationship, I don't think I even have any friends. After all... I am a monster."
"Cut the act. Don't wallow in self pity here."
Hearing Sakurakawa Rikka's slightly lonely words, Asagiri replied casually,
"It's just having the power to resurrect from death and predict the future through death. What kind of monster is that? I can also resurrect, and I can fly. Can you?"
"Uh... no."
"Doesn't that settle it?"
Asagiri pointed at Yuuki Asuna, who was smiling while picking out clothes, and said faintly,
"She can use moves like a Dimensional Slash to cut every enemy in the area into powder. Then that loli in the Western style dress can summon Pale Ghost Hands and create black humanoid monsters that are impervious to swords and guns. Then that black haired girl can make her presence close to zero, yet can also forcibly attract other people's attention, a textbook illusionist assassin. And that seemingly lively and optimistic girl is even more of a heavyweight. She has resurrected more times than I have."
After saying all that, Asagiri looked at Sakurakawa Rikka beside him.
"Compared to us, you are not a monster at all. You're even a bit ordinary. You are just a human with extraordinary powers, just like us."
Sakurakawa Rikka's lips parted slightly.
She first met Asagiri's gaze, then lowered her head, looking at her fair right palm as she muttered,
"I... am human?"
"What else?"
Asagiri leaned back on the single sofa in the rest area and spoke as if it were only natural.
"Of course, I can't be one hundred percent sure. After all, I haven't checked your detailed body structure. But judging by appearance alone, there is no difference between you and us. Power is power, essence is essence. Does that mean after I mastered the ability to fly, I stopped being human and became a Utsunomiya brand helicopter?"
.....
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